It seems that these two can do no wrong in the ring during this feud, and this was yet another example. They work extremely well together, and the match was given almost a full 30 minutes. What I enjoyed the most was that A.J. played so little a factor in the match. I have not been a fan of this storyline at all, so having A.J. "knocked out" of the match early and then brought back to count the fall was a much better scenario. The bad news is that this story appears to be continuing. Why?

WORST MATCH – RYBACK VS. CURT HAWKINS/TYLER REKS

The Ryback gimmick is terrible. I’m not sure who it’s aimed at, but watching some big dude toss around two guys got old weeks ago. And, where is the finish line? It just feels like someone saw this monster and pitched the idea: "He should beat up two guys!’ and then they did it, and replied, "Now what?” And, everyone just stood there, awkwardly.

BIGGEST SURPRISE – NO SHENANIGANS

I’m never a fan of the addition of a guest referee or enforcer, or storylines wherein someone vows to interfere; that just tells the fans to basically not invest in anything until the interference occurs. So, it was a pleasant surprise when AJ, for the most part, was a non-factor. When you have guys as good as Punk and Bryan in the ring, you don’t need to distract from the action.

BIGGEST LETDOWN – SANTINO NON-SENSE

So, the Smackdown MITB match barreled along at break-neck speed, and then Santino (who desperately needs some sort of character advancement) climbed the ladder... and couldn't get all the way up because he is scared of heights. Really? WWE went with this spot on pay-per-view? Imagine explaining this to a non-wrestling fan: “Yeah, I don’t know why he didn’t practice getting comfortable on ladders either. And, yes, that is a glove dressed up like a snake.” Sigh.

BEST QUOTE – THE MIZ

“I’m a movie star…..and I’m awesome.”

The Miz came back with a (slightly) different look, and seemingly a shift in the character. This was much needed, and I’m curious where they go with it.

BEST MOVE – ZIGGLER TAKES INSANE BUMP

In a match that featured some crazy moves, the one that made me jump up had nothing to with a ladder. Tensei is at ringside, grabs Dolph Ziggler, and throws him upside down into the announcer’s chairs, where he lands on his head and slides down. Good grief, man.

BEST MATCH FINISH – SMACKDOWN MITB

It looks like it's time to re-focus on Ziggler (as I doubt WWE will damage the MITB gimmick by having wrestlers cash in and lose) after seemingly a month of losing on TV. And, rightfully so. The guy is superb in the ring, and makes the wrestlers he’s in there with look great. The finish with Dolph knocking Christian down and grabbing the briefcase was the right move.

OTHER THOUGHTS

WWE aired a match on YouTube with R-Truth and Kofi Kingston taking on Hunico and Camacho. And, I swear this happened, Hunico started throwing kicks at the air to simulate beating up "Little Jimmy." Seriously.

Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio had a nice match, although nothing spectacular. It was positioned very early on the card, which was a surprise, but they were given time and it looks like they may get another match out of the feud. And, the post-match Brogue Kick to Dolph Ziggler as he tried to cash in looked brutal.

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young took on Primo and Epico. It certainly wasn’t a bad match, but the crowd didn’t care at all.

Layla, Kaityln, and Tamina vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Eve was a decent six-woman tag match. It was obviously designed to bring the crowd down before the main event, but that’s the norm, unfortunately. Still, nothing wrong with the match at all.

The Raw ladder match was a much slower affair than the Smackdown edition, but still had some nice moves like John Cena giving Big Show the AA through the Spanish announce table, and all of the obligatory big-man power moves. Everyone worked hard, and Cena of course won. Do you think Punk is ever gonna close out a show if Cena is on it?

WHAT IT’LL BE REMEMBERED FOR

Presumably the start of building to Cena vs. Punk at Summerslam, although that is speculation. Hopefully, though, this is the start of a sustained run for Dolph Ziggler, who would be awesome in the Ric Flair role of the "cocky heel who you can never quite get the title off." A decent show, and check out Smackdown’s ladder match and Punk vs. Bryan for sure.

He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)

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